Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-28

| VEGETABLE VENDORS AND THE NEwsBOYS-NEv
THKATERs TO BE KREcTED-YOUNG soTHHRNs sue
CESS.
Special Correspondence of The Evrsise STAR
| NEW YORK, May "a.
The street traffic OF New York has grown Il
great proportions. Five thousand peddlers an
daily patrOling the thoroughfares selling all kinds
OF wares and doing all kinds OF work. They pay
dollar year to the city for the privilege Of sell
ing goods on the street and harasstng late sleeper
and nervous people with their cries. The frs1
cries in the morning are those Of the newsboys
| In western cities, where the feature OF bulletfr
boards has not been developed, the newsboys cal
out the name OF their papers and announce
their most startling piece OF news. A few moments
before the paper comes out the city editor sends
down to the publication Office cry Tor the news
| boys. The man In charge of the basement room
| where a hundred or two newsboys are waiting
day the shout in one Of the western newspaper
offices was: "An about the murder OF Smith,
| Peter Smith had been very wealthy, aTistocratiG
/ man. The newSboyS were coached and shouted
the call several times in vociferous concert while
waiting for their papers. Some OF them, as Is
| and when they began calling their papers on the
| street the friends of Mr.. Smith were hOrrthed to
hear them shout: "All about the murderer, Peter
Smith"
The New York newsboy merely calls the names
OF his papers He gives the e. names pecunha al
papers, for the public knows that something
| extraordinary must have happened to warrant an
extra.
Before the newsbOy selling morning papers has
subsidized the people in flats and boarding houses
who are trying to take their final morning nap,
are aroused by the peculiar whoops that sound
NIKE R Is ne can Of 1ed
wagons. In Washington the milkmen announce
their coming by ringing great gongs attached to
cities they ring dinner bells, but no New York
milknnan is allowed to ring bell. His cry
is peculiar, and no other vendor attempts to
When the milkmen have gone man comes
along the street yelling what sounds like "Glass
puddlng?" He happens along at the hour when
the chambermaids are cleaning the windows, and
his call means 'GlaSS put int" Following him are
men, one ON each side OF the street, for they like
many branches OF street traffckerS usually travel
in pairs, yelling, in peculiar nasal tones Rag
son-bottells!" They are the rags or bottlebuyers.
and bottled beer for table use is so extensively
used that these bottle-buyers gather great num-
bers OF bottles The consumer OF bottled beer gets
a rebate by returning the empty bottles to the
beer merchant, but he usually doesn't care to
bother with them, and gives the servants the pro-
ceeds OF their sale. The rags and bottle man is
the particular friend OF the dOmeSticS.
THE VEGETABLE VENDORS
At O'Clock in the morning great army OF fruit
and vegetable vendors begin to make the street
anything but melOdiOus. One shouts "POt-eight,
pOt-eight, pot-eight-oos!' Another yels sparrow
greSS! Thirteen cents bunch!" The former is
The vendor OF new potatoes just from Bermuda
and the latter OF asparagus. Some OF these Vege-
table dealers have wagons loaded with all kinds
Every dealer has an ambition to own wagon.
The privilege OF running a wagon costs him
s. year for the first year and 30 cents year
thereafter. IL he Is too poor to own a horse and
wagon he gets a puSh-cart, but the license for
this vehicle costs him as much as for a horse and
wagon. There are 5000 licensed merchandise
containing an 1ce-cream freezer, from which an
Italian sells cents worth OF ice cream on piece
or brown paper to a neWSbOy, to the elaborate
green grocery wagon drawn by handsome horse.
Every day at this season an Italian wheels cart
''Sap-o-dlo." The sapadillO is the only fruit that
must be nearly rotten 10 suit the epicure who de-
ScribeS its taste as combination OF apple, pine
apple and banana.
About IL O'Clock men drive along the streets in
the tenement districts. screaming: 'GO-way!'
Get near enough to see the contents OF their wag-
onS and you will find that they are selling coal.
The majority OF the licensed wagons in New York
are those from which coal and ice are sold. The
yell 'Red D1SheeS." blends with the goldman $
call. Five cents bunch for five radishes is the
ruling price The vicinity OF the great factories is
good Held for the radish vendor about noon, for
the workman esteems the radsh with his luncheon
and beer.
OTHER STRANGE SOUNDS.
At the crowded street corners frequented by
shoppers one hears the cali: 'Ie-likes just cut
ve-cents-a-bunch!" Lilacs are very popular
|
| good living by their sale.
A man with "a musical voice perambulates the
streets on the lower west side Of the city, singing:
"Any penkniveS or scissors, or carverS to gr-
Ind ~
Another dealer, whose voice sounds like chant
at church service, goes through the aforementioned
.sTinNwarher to meNhen Ss was-tu-nubs tin
paf-hels, bOil-hers and pa-hans!"
The poet OF the craft Is q clam vendor, who
sings out:
"Oh CLAIMS, OH CLAIMS, fresh CLAIMS day,
They've lately arrived from Rockaway.
They're good for to and they're good for to fry
Theyr good for to make a clam potpie!'
The broom peddlerS have peculiar cry which
sounds like "A-whOOp. a-whoo!" and no one
would understand the shout "Ap-hum, tence "a
whater pa-hel," means apples, 10 cents a water
pail"
The Chinese quarter Is seldom invaded by street
vendors; the Italian quarter is thick with them,
but they do not cry their wares. The bread wO-
linen are in the majority. They crouch on the
sidewalk, near the curbS. with great lOaveS OF
shiny black bread, laid out on big coffee sacks, on
the walk. A Keeling pedestrian sometimes steps
on their goods, and only such occasions do they
lift up their voices.
The shout OF the bOotblack has almost been
Sienced in New York, and the Italians are mainly
responsible Tor IL. The trade has become regular
business, controlled by Italian men with street
chairs AMI fOOt-reStS, richly Ornamented with
brass, but no stand owner ever emitS the cry of
his trade or asks customers to have a shine
AMOS j. CUMMINGS.
BUILDING NEW THEATERS.